Deuteron | Nuclear Structure, Nuclear Forces & Isotopes | Britannica (original) (raw)

deuterium nucleus

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External Websites

• Physics Libretexts - The Deuteron
• U.S. Department of Energy - High deuteron and neutron yields from the interaction of a petawatt laser with a cryogenic deuterium jet
• IOPscience - Journal of Physics: Conference Series - Consistent analysis of deuteron interactions at low and medium energies (PDF)
• IOP Science - Proton structure functions at small x
• Frontiers - High deuteron and neutron yields from the interaction of a petawatt laser with a cryogenic deuterium jet
• The Open University - Unbinding the Deuteron
• National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubChem - Deuteron

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Last Updated: Jan 9, 2025• Article History

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deuterium

atomic nucleus

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deuteron, nucleus of deuterium (heavy hydrogen) that consists of one proton and one neutron. Deuterons are formed chiefly by ionizing deuterium (stripping the single electron away from the atom) and are used as projectiles to produce nuclear reactions after accumulating high energies in particle accelerators. A deuteron also results from the capture of a slow neutron by a proton, accompanied by the emission of a gamma photon.